The Brink: Prof. Jacobson López Is Making a Difference as a Latinx Researcher
As part of Latinx Heritage Month, The Brink interviewed Latinx researchers across Boston University to show the impact they’re having on the academic community. BUSSW Prof. Daniel Jacobson López spoke to the Brink about his research on how intersecting marginalized identities affect people’s access to necessary services.
Excerpt from, “Seven BU Latinx Researchers Making a Difference” by Thalia Plata, originally published on The Brink:
Daniel Jacobson López, a BU School of Social Work assistant professor, knows that research can be personal, as well as professional. ‘I do not have the privilege to experience the world without personally contending with racism, homophobia, and/or anti-Semitism,’ he says.
López, an expert on trauma, researches how having multiple marginalized identities impacts services offered to gay Latino and Black men who are survivors of sexual assault, as well as violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
‘The goal with my research is to help others know that they are not alone and find the peace they deserve,’ he says. ‘And, secondly, to help raise awareness about the struggles and the beauty of gay Latino and Black men.’
Through his work on SSW’s equity and inclusion committee and as co-chair of the school’s emerging scholars program, López is working to help increase the diversity of academics and social workers. ‘When there is a lack of Latinx therapists and social workers, communities suffer due to language barriers and a lack of culturally responsive therapists,’ says López. ‘Additionally, Latinx students need to have professors who are Latinx to give them hope that they can be anything they want to be, and to let them know that they belong in these spaces.”
Learn More about Prof. Jacobson López’s Research